DataSet
object is an in-memory object that is essentially a mini-database. It contains DataTable
, DataColumn
, and DataRow
objects in which you can store and modify data from one or more databases without having to maintain an open connection. The dataset maintains information about changes to its data, so updates can be tracked and sent back to the database when your application becomes reconnected.DataReader
object to retrieve data into a generic List
object or another collection object. If you are displaying the data, you can data-bind the user interface to the collection.